Small steps do matter

Small steps do matter

I said I wasn’t going to count the days but, here I am in day 3 and I am already feeling discouraged. What. the. heck.

I gave myself 2 simple goals for this week – move more and eat less. I figured those were doable, attainable. So last night, while I was watching TV, I did squats and leg lifts during one of the commercial breaks. I kept hearing this nagging voice in the back of my head “You are so overweight. 5 minutes of exercise is not going to make a difference”.

This morning I woke up at 6am and walked around my neighborhood. The air was cool and smelled delicious. The mist was rising around the hilltops. It was a beautiful morning. I should have enjoyed it! But all I could hear was that same nagging voice “You are so overweight. A short walk is not going to make a difference”.

All of a sudden I was more aware of my back pain than the beautiful surroundings, and I felt like giving up.

Why is it so hard to change!? Where does this voice come from? How can it be that my feelings are getting the best of me and it is only day 3!?

That’s the problem… FEELINGS.

My feelings are getting the best of me. I cannot let my feelings control me. Feelings are NOT truth! The truth is every movement DOES make a difference. 10 squats is better than no squats. A 15 minute walk is better than 15 minutes on the couch. That is the TRUTH.

I heard a lady on the radio tell a quick story about getting her son ready for school. When she went to put his pants on they didn’t fit. It seemed like he had just worn them the other day and now all of a sudden they were too short. When did he grow out of them? She couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when he got taller and bigger. The point she was making is that growth is so gradual and subtle, we usually miss it, but it IS happening every day.

Growth, progress, change – it comes slowly – but it WILL come as long as I don’t quit. That is truth.

Small steps DO make a difference, so I will silence those feelings and keep going…

You didn’t gain all the weight at once, so you won’t lose it all at once (unless you’re on the Biggest Loser Ranch 😉 ). Even then, they work for hours and hours everyday, and are cut off from the real world. It’s easy because they have no other choice. You have other commitments, but if you keep making your health a priority, and include it in your routine, you WILL win this battle.